Harry begins to act like someone I know...

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 99309

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "(Mrs.) Lee Storm (God Is The 
Healing Force)" <n2fgc at a...> wrote:

Lee:
> In COS, Snape did move to save Harry from the snake brought forth 
by Malfoy
> in the Dueling Club incident.  You're very right in the complexity 
of
> Snape's character.  I think he, deep down where he hopes no one can 
see it,
> has some love and/or compassion, but disguises it, perhaps even on a
> subconscious level, to look like something else because he (1) 
doesn't want
> to be perceived as weak and (2) just plain won't allow himself to 
believe he
> has those qualities.
> 
> He seems to need/want the glory or power, I think, but perhaps that 
goes
> back to his bad treatment as a kid, too...observe the fragment of 
memory
> Harry picked up in the Occlumancy class in OOTP.
> 
> So, yes, in one way, Snape has the need to prove himself and it's a 
far more
> surface thing; any compassion is as buried as it can get but will 
manifest
> itself at the oddest times.  I don't think that his attempt to save 
Harry
> from the snake was all tied up with either a debt to James or with 
the need
> to be sure a student remained unharmed at the school.  I want to 
believe
> there was something else in that action.

Geoff:
That incident is rather an interesting one. Let's look at canon for a 
minute:

'Snape moved nearer to Malfoy and whispered something in his ear. 
Malfoy smirked too. Harry looked nervously up at Lockhart and 
said "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"
"Scared?" muttered Malfoy, so that Lockhart couldn't hear him.
"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, 
Harry!"
"What, drop my wand?"
But Lockhart wasn't listening.
"Three - two - one - go!" he shouted.
Malfoy raised his wand quickly and bellowed "Serpensortia!"
The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black 
snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them and 
raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd 
backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.
"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight 
of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll 
get rid of it..."'

(COS "The Duelling Club" p.145 UK edition)

Now certain things have already been suggested in the past about this 
incident.

(1) What exactly did Snape whisper to him? Why was Malfoy smirking? 
Was it because Malfoy had just been given this spell?
(2) If Snape is keen on saving Harry, why is he lazily enjoying the 
sight?

Certainly looks more along the glory/power line than rescuing 
Harry....